I have a bone to pick with open-world games: I find a lot of exploration boring. Scouring every inch of empty wilderness in the hope that something useful might be there is not my idea of a good time. However, if the game gets a good review, it’s truly magical, one of those games that turns into a time sink that you can spend thousands of hours on.
10 Open World Games With Amazing Side Quests
These games have such dense universes that the optional content ends up being just as good as the main campaign.
Good testing in action games requires certain things. The gameplay and combat should be strong, the visuals should be good, there should be things to do, and there should be a reward at the end. Sometimes the reward is a carefully crafted experience, but mostly it comes in the form of upgrades, cosmetics, and maybe a bump in side quests. Here are some games that drove the test.
10
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor
When Exploration Turns Combat
The Lord of the Rings has the greatest potential in the realm of video games, and I find it odd that it’s the only one that can come anywhere close to Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor. While not a perfect game, Talion’s story is a serviceable addition to LotR, and the game at least works while feeling like Middle-Earth.
Shadow of Mordor features the Nemesis system, an AI class of enemies that makes them remember previous interactions with Talion and promote themselves based on it. This gives it experimental weight as it changes the (orc) political landscape of the game world. You can go exploring and mysteriously create a mini boss that becomes a nightmare in that area, making it a great game to explore and add replay value.
9
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
Parkour Meets Naval Warfare
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag may not be the biggest Assassin’s Creed game to do, but it knows what it sets out to do, and it does it very well. You play as a pirate, and a big part of that is exploring the open seas while hunting for treasure.
Exploring the Caribbean during the height of the pirate’s Golden Age is something very few pirate games have managed to do well, but Black Flag flies. The sea game here is at its best, swimming underwater among the corals and discovering what lies beneath the waves is fascinating, and each forest is full of loot potential. The coastal settlements look like forests, each one is different from the last, and exploring them gives you upgrades, treasure, cosmetics, and more.
8
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
The Work of an Archaeologist
Adventure has always been central to the appeal of Indiana Jones, even if it’s in the middle, and exploration is a key element of that. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has exploration in spades, and it’s an experience that rewards you for going off the beaten path. The reward for doing so is obvious: there are tons of collectibles to find and access.
10 Open World Games Where The Map Is The Real Boss
Where the environment is more challenging than any boss battle
There are artifacts, notes, replicas, books, and tons of collections to complete, all themed around different locations and factions. Finding them all requires exploring every nook and cranny of the game, including interacting with vendors and NPCs. I usually don’t like to find hundreds of items to collect for the sake of it, but here’s a good reason to do so. Indiana Jones’ role as an archaeologist gives these objects and collectibles a purpose beyond aesthetics, customization, or gameplay, and it’s one I can get behind.
7
Batman: Arkham Knight
The innovation of the Batmobile
Batman: Arkham Knight stands alone thanks to one new feature: the Batmobile. The Batmobile is a big reason why exploring Batman: Arkham Knight is so rewarding, and it’s a tool in its own right to explore. Using it to solve puzzles, destroy enemies and obstacles, and speed through the city is a joy Batman’s creators could only imagine when they created it.
Exploration interacts with other game mechanics, requiring you to solve puzzles and use Batman’s evolving abilities to gain access to all parts of Gotham and the rewards they bring. Batman: Arkham Knight’s level and map design rewards players for making other areas accessible, unlocking the city and creating a gameplay loop that rewards players for methodical exploration and exploration.
Sure, it ended up being a game breaking mechanic, but it definitely worked for me.
6
Rise of the Tomb Raider
Where Experimentation Meets Innovation
Tomb Raider’s deep exploration missions are a big part of its appeal. This was the first game I had played where exploration was really the point of the game, and I loved it. Finding a new tomb and wondering what treasures and traps it would reveal was another fun part of playing it, and finding something new to explore was a gameplay loop that quickly became addictive.
What makes Rise of the Tomb Raider stand out is that the best tombs are the ones that aren’t forced. You have to go out of your way to find them, and you’ll be rewarded with some of the best puzzles, visuals, and highs in the game. In a game about recovering the unknown, this is the best you can get.
5
The wind of Tsushima
The beauty of Feudal Japan
Ghost of Tsushima’s beautiful setting on the Japanese island of Tsushima in the 1200s went a long way to pique my curiosity, but it also included elements that forced me off the beaten track. Seeing a tori gate, steps up a mountain, or just walking through the woods pushed me off the beaten path, and I was rewarded for doing so time and time again.
10 Best Open World Games
For players who want to explore, but can be overwhelmed by a world larger than the story.
These rewards include Jin upgrades, including increased health, meaningful side quests, and resources to find. No matter where you go, you can be sure to find something useful. Aside from the practical side of exploration, just being in Ghost of Tsushima was a joy for me because of its visuals. The exploration was its own reward as I discovered many beauties of this setting.
4
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
A Different View of New York City
Web-swinging in New York City is an experience unlike anything else, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 nailed it. It offers a large map that includes Queens and Brooklyn this time, giving you new types of places to skate. You don’t need to convince me to check out Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 just because web surfing is its own reward.
It’s even better here because of how you can switch between Peter and Miles. Both characters have their own body and body language while swinging, and switching between the two makes exploration even more intense than in its predecessor Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. The lines between exploration and gameplay here are blurred, and traversing the city would be enough on its own if it weren’t for the side quests and collectibles that can be revealed.
3
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Being a Jedi Rocks
There’s nothing more fun than taking on the role of a Jedi and carving your way through the galaxy with your lightsaber. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor took the best parts of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. More importantly, it corrected its mistakes. I know I wasn’t the only one who longed for a fast travel option when I finished Zeffo and realized the only way back was the road I had just traveled.
Jedi: Survivor gave us that fast travel button, and bigger worlds and more to explore. Improved mobility with the grappling hook and the new Cal’s Force ability also went a long way in making exploration more powerful, such as crossing large gaps with a single jump. Aside from the things to collect, Cal’s psychometry and finding echoes that allow you to find individual stories of a place go a long way in making it seem like a living world.
2
Red Dead Redemption 2
Available in Details
Red Dead Redemption 2 has a huge open world and the exploration is so immersive that it makes the world feel like a living, changing person who influences Arthur as well. The honor system is tied to exploration and the encounters that happen when you go off the beaten path.
One thing that stuck with me from start to finish in Red Dead Redemption 2 was the attention to detail. The smearing of blood on Arthur’s shoulder after the kill, how to set up camp and prepare food. These are present throughout the game at every level, but it makes exploring more rewarding as it makes you appreciate every moment, no matter how slow or small.
1
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
The World Opens Up Before You
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice earned the top spot on this list thanks to one gameplay feature: your prosthetic arm. The equipment you can add to your arm makes Sekiro a real giant of exploration, allowing you to explore the entire environment. The level design works in tandem with this, creating an interconnected world.
Exploring the world rewards you with new enhancements for your arm, unlocking the world and increasing its power, leading to game play programs. Sekiro’s secret system works seamlessly with exploration, allowing you to find ways to bypass enemy groups or even find ways to make your fights easier.
8 Open World Games That Secretly Punish You For Too Much Exploration
Don’t check too often in these games, unless you want to be punished.
